School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years) (male) in India
India: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years) (male) was 12.88 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12.88 years
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
105th
of 179 countries
All-time high
13.34 years
in 2024
All-time low
7.46 years
in 1971
Years of data
38
1971–2025
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in India, 1971–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
India recorded 12.88 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in India peaked at 13.34 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.46 years, in 1971.
That places India 105th out of 179 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years) (male) in India, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.46 years | — |
| 1973 | 7.74 years | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 7.73 years | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 7.91 years | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 7.74 years | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 7.94 years | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 8.12 years | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 8.28 years | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 8.49 years | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 8.78 years | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 8.9 years | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 8.7 years | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 8.67 years | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 8.88 years | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 9.21 years | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 9.17 years | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 9.14 years | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 9.75 years | +6.7% |
| 2001 | 9.6 years | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 9.71 years | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 9.99 years | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 10.98 years | +9.9% |
| 2009 | 10.99 years | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 11.34 years | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 11.64 years | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 11.62 years | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 11.95 years | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 12.04 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 12.31 years | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 12.21 years | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 11.82 years | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 11.73 years | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 12.22 years | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 12.52 years | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 13.06 years | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 13.02 years | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 13.34 years | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 12.88 years | -3.5% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 12.88 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.52 years, 1.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- India's 12.88 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 12.85 years, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.71 years | 7.46 years | 7.91 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 8.53 years | 7.94 years | 8.9 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 9.17 years | 9.14 years | 9.21 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 10.17 years | 9.6 years | 10.99 years | 6 |
| 2010s | 11.85 years | 11.34 years | 12.31 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 12.84 years | 12.22 years | 13.34 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More education data for India
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.31 million (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 3.10 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 19.37 million (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 18.52 million (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 133.16 million (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 126.12 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -8.85 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0862 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in India?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male in India was 12.88 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 13.34 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.46 years in 1971.
- How does India rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male?
- India ranks 105th out of 179 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release